Watch The Birdie
by Inkfamy
Summary: Everyone knows that you can't trust weather forecasts. But the Autobots have yet to work out who you can trust for a reliable prediction… and a storm's coming. A big one.


**RE: **Well this was a little ficlet and the plot bunny for it popped into my head when we were at a campsite and expecting a storm and I was sitting just looking round. My first G1 fic and I've never seen the series so sorry if characters are OOC.

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the TFs in this ficlet. I do own the storm, the canyon which is just out of my head and the birds.

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**Summary: **Everyone knows that you can't trust weather forecasts. But the Autobots have yet to work out who you _can_ trust for a reliable prediction… and a storm's coming. A big one.

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**Watch The Birdie**

Prowl dodged a shot from Starscream's null rays and looked up at the sky. The storm clouds were drawing closer.

"Prowl to base, what's the weather report for this region?" he asked.

"_Chill, Prowl, the storm should pass right by you, there's no danger to anyone of being struck," _Spike answered.

"Are you sure?"

"_Totally, I've checked the reports on the 'net and they say that it'll pass over about a mile or two to the east."_

Prowl frowned and glanced back at the looming clouds, then noticed the birds.

Every kind of bird in the region was flying away from the storm. Even as he watched, the flock of starlings that had been sitting on some electricity cables a little way to his left and at the top of a cliff took off and flew determinedly west.

He ducked behind a boulder and returned fire at Thundercracker. The seeker swerved out of the way and shot at him a few times before getting blasted by Jazz.

Prowl glanced up at the oncoming storm again. It was getting closer.

'**_I don't think that this storm is going to pass us by,'_** he thought.

He could feel the static energy building up and tingling along his plating.

"Prowl to Prime, I suggest that we retreat, sir," he radioed to Optimus.

"_Why, Prowl?" _came the reply, followed by a crackle that was presumably a shot being fired.

"The storm sir, it's getting closer and I don't think that it's going to miss us."

"_Does it matter? If it's just a little rain…"_

Prowl glanced back up at the clouds. They were heavy and black and very, _very_, _VERY_, big.

A flock of white birds - seagulls he thought - were flying away from the storm too.

"It's going to be a thunderstorm sir, and have you ever heard of a lightning rod?"

"_Yes, it's a big metal pole that attracts the lightning towards it… oh."_

The static was really building up; he could _feel_ it crackling along his armour and earthing itself in the ground beneath his feet.

Optimus gave the call for a retreat and the Autobots started to leave just in time.

It started to rain.

Huge drops of water hit the ground, soon turning the floor of the canyon into a muddy bed.

Then the storm really started.

A rumble of thunder echoed around the valley and a fork of lightning struck the ground.

As Prowl left he saw Skywarp hit by a bolt and go crashing to the ground with smoke pouring from his wing.

He smiled grimly then transformed.

Birds _knew_ when it was time to get away from a storm. A small, organic flying thing did not want to get hit by lightning; nothing that had a survival instinct would get caught out in a thunderstorm, except maybe a human.

Back at the base Jazz pulled up beside Prowl.

"Hey, Prowl m'man, how'd ya know that the storm was gonna hit us?" the black-and-white asked.

Prowl allowed himself a small twinge of satisfaction.

"Just watch the birdies, Jazz," he answered.

Then he transformed and walked away, leaving a bewildered Porsche behind him.

He had some reports to read before he recharged.

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RE: Well, wha'dayathink? Love it, hate it? Just review. thinks for a moment Please?

Oh, and just in case you're thinking about reading and not reviewing; I check me stats page a lot, I'll know if people aren't reviewing and even though I can't come and get you, I can tell you that if there are more hits than reviews I will cry. And you don't want me to cry, do you?

DD: You don't. It makes her depressed for days, and I have to deal with it.

RE: See? So please review (.) Red-Eyes out!


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